Acknowledgment—The following is a work of fanfiction, written and posted solely for the enjoyment of readers. The author thanks Ms. JK Rowling for allowing writers to set work among the population and locations found in the Harry Potter series of books. Everything belongs to Ms. Rowling and the author of this story neither seeks nor receives remuneration.

Two Daughters

Chapter Sixteen

A Harry and Daphne Fanfic

By

Bfd1235813

The Black witches, Anemone and Delphine, were healthy and intelligent. The healthy factor showed itself in days full of activities, some organized by their parents and some they invented themselves. The intelligence manifested in Delphine's participation in Potter's study of alchemy. She assisted her father, whenever he allowed it. Little by little, Delphi assumed responsibility for setting up the basement laboratory for their next project. Potter liked having his daughter's help. The routine work was not his favorite subject matter.

Delphi knew witches her age did not study alchemy or mind arts. Those disciplines were easily turned to mischief. She was grateful to Potter for allowing her to join him in his studies. It was probably inevitable, that, given her aptitude, intelligence and curiosity, Delphi began picking up bits of those disciplines. She also liked to practice summoning her familiar.

Given a few spare minutes, Delphi enjoyed treating the Potter-Black household to a visit with Snake No-Name (oddly enough, the conjured snake who believed he had no name began to answer to Snake No-Name). Potter indulged his daughter, subject to one rule: No conjuring if outsiders were present. This later expanded to two rules, with an additional rule added to refrain from conjuring a snake at the dinner table.

Left alone one afternoon, Delphi and Ane sat on the floor of the second drawing room at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Ane had not yet acquired her first wand. Delphi showed her sister some wand movements, letting Ane use her index finger as a substitute. They decided to give the levitation charm, wingardia leviosa, an experimental try.

Delphi had learned the charm in Professor Flitwick's class early in her first year at Hogwarts School. She knew it was simple and had no known ill effects. Delphi summoned Kreacher and asked for a sugar cube, which the house elf provided with a snap of his fingers.

"Swish and flick, like this," said Delphi, lifting the sugar off the carpet with her wand. "Now you try it."

Delphi didn't really expect anything to happen. Ane had a finger, not a wand. No harm letting her try. Besides, the movement would be the same, wand or finger. She would be doing it in the classroom, a little over a year hence. A short levitation drill would transfer easily when Ane began to use a wand.

"Swish and flick," repeated Ane. "Swish and flick."

Delphi thought the obvious focus and concentration so cute; she enjoyed watching her little sister and nearly missed the sugar cube coming up off the carpet.

"I DID IT," shouted Ane.

Delphi was speechless, heretofore an unknown phenomenon.

The sugar dropped back to the carpet with Ane's shout. She showed no disappointment, pointing her finger and commencing to swish and flick. Before long she could levitate the sugar cube and raise it overhead.

"Try this," said Delphi.

She pointed her wand and levitated the sugar before sending it on a magical tour of the second drawing room, ending back its starting point.

"Ooo…" said Ane. "Let me try!"

Once again, the younger of the Black witches proved to be a natural, levitating the cube and pointing to a complete circle of a course around the drawing room, ending with a controlled landing on a windowsill.

"Wow," said Delphi. "You're really good. Are you sure you weren't learning magic while I was away at school? Did someone teach you how to do that?"

"Just you," said Ane. "Before. Swish and flick."

"Hmm…," said Delphi.

Once the witches established Ane could work magic, they felt compelled to explore. With the enthusiasm of the young, free of inhibitions deriving from painful misadventures, they plunged ahead.

Ane learned to summon the Daily Prophet. She summoned her sketchbook and a set of wooden pencils. Ane found she could pull the black crepe from Walburga Black's enchanted portrait by pointing and imagining actually seeing Walburga. She discovered she could reverse the unveiling, as well.

The witches amused themselves for a bit, taking away the crepe, greeting Walburga, then covering her up. As the game went on, Walburga's responses became more subdued. Finally, she ceased participating, simply staring straight ahead.

"I think she might be tired," Delphi theorized.

"Okay, Auntie Walburga, we'll go away and let you rest!" said Ane.

The witches left the front hallway, disappointed at Walburga's lack of enthusiasm for what they viewed as their command of magic.

"Can I see your snake?" Ane asked.

Delphi sighed.

"I wish," she said. "Harry wouldn't like it unless he's here to supervise."

Ane had no such instructions. She wondered if she could conjure a snake, using her wand-finger.

"What is that in-canadation you say?" she asked Delphi.

"It's incantation," said Delphi.

She went on, not really thinking about it.

"Serpensortia!" she said. "When you say 'SOR' you give your wand a flick."

Delphi pointed her wand tip as if she'd given the incantation.

"Oh," said Ane. "Serpensortia!"

She pointed her finger at the floor, in place of a wand, bringing a snake into being right on the drawing room carpet.

"Oh, I don't know," Delphi began, too late.

The snake couldn't have been very old. It was less than a foot long, possibly less than ten inches. Its pattern was a brown background broken up by tan spots. Delphi flinched. She had heard of diamondbacks and wondered if Ane's snake was one of those.

"Snake! What's your name?" Ane demanded.

The little snake looked at Ane, then Delphi. It did not appear to be happy at finding itself, materialized, in a human habitation.

"Can you speak snake?" asked Delphi.

"I don't know," said Ane. "I don't think so."

Delphi knelt down and looked directly at the snake's eye.

"Sss-ahh-shass…" she began.

The snake jerked its head up. Something said it was focusing solely on the strange human who could speak something it understood.

"Why is a human speaking our language?" it demanded.

"It is asking…," said Delphi.

"I understood it!" said Ane. "I don't know why. That didn't sound like English."

"It's not," said Delphi. "It's called parseltongue. People who can understand and speak parseltongue are parselmouths. Harry explained it all to me. Try to say something."

Ane took a moment while she squinched her eyes closed. Delphi knew that was how Ane indicated she was thinking.

"I'll try asking its name again," said Ane. "…S-ss-ahh…"

While not the most fluent name inquiry, Delphi did understand, smiled and nodded her approval.

"I don't have a name," said the little serpent.

"Just like Snake No-name," said Delphi. "I like it. Want to see if you can send him back? The charm is evanesco. Ev-a-NESS-co."

"Okay, sending you back, little fella," said Ane. "Evanesco!"

The snake disappeared with a POP, leaving a wisp of crimson smoke.

"Is that smoke?" asked Ane.

"I don't know what it is," said Delphi. "It's not something I've seen before. We should be careful. We don't want to start any fires."

Daphne appeared in the doorway, a very concerned look on her face.

"What's this about starting fires? You aren't playing around with 'incendio' or matches or anything, are you? Delphi?" she asked.

"No, Mum Daphne," said Delphi. "Ane can conjure a snake, that's all."

"That's all? Well, then, that is just fine, isn't it? Something tells me I need to get the full story here. Start at the beginning, please," said Daphne.

"Well, we were talking about school, see, and I asked Kreacher for something to levitate. He gave us a sugar cube and I showed Ane Wingardia Leviosa. So then she tried, using her finger, and she can levitate the sugar."

Ane pointed her index finger straight up, when Daphne looked over, seemingly prepared to submit to inspection.

"Uh-huh," said Daphne. "I am beginning to get the picture. Your intent was to raise the sugar cube up, like Delphi did?"

Ane nodded, rapidly, a big smile on her face.

"Only that wasn't all there was to it," said Delphi as she pointed her wand at the sugar cube on the windowsill.

Bringing the sugar back, Delphi dropped it back to the carpet.

"Go ahead!" she whispered.

Ane pointed at the sugar cube and gave the incantation: "Wingardia Leviosa!"

The sugar cube came up off the carpet. Ane was visibly concentrating, pointing, squinching her eyes and moving the cube. Once again, she sent the sugar cube around the room a few times before letting it settle, this time on the mantle. A definite undertone of muttering was growing in volume. The witches looked at the source—the Blacks' enchanted tapestry.

"What?" asked Delphi.

"Anemone Black, dear," said Daphne. "Your relatives are excited to learn what a skilled witch she is. A natural, really."

Ane seemed to swell up, right in front of Delphi and Daphne, obviously pleased to be the object of her stepmother's praise.

"Now, what was that about fire?" asked Daphne.

"It's kind of hard to explain," said Ane, sounding like, by 'kind of,' she actually meant, 'impossible.'

"Start at the beginning…" Daphne said, consciously seeking to lay on the encouragement.

"Maybe…" said Ane, looking at Delphi.

"I think it would be okay," said Delphi.

Taking her sister's word as definitive, Ane pointed at the carpet and conjured a snake.

"MERLIN!" exclaimed Daphne as she drew her wand.

"NO MUM DAPHNE!" shouted both Black witches.

Daphne jerked, backwards. She kept her wand directed at the conjured snake while she looked to the witches for an explanation.

"I'll send you back," said Ane, addressing the snake.

Naturally, in the rational world, the words came out sounding like the parseltongue counterparts to humans' 's' 'h' 'a-a-h' and various, more exotic combinations.

With a quick 'evanesco,' the little, unnamed snake disappeared, again leaving a faint redness hanging in the air.

"See, it isn't really a fire, it's just red," Delphi explained.

"What else have you been playing at?" Daphne demanded.

"Nothing," the Blacks said, in unison.

Daphne noted two sets of eyes were shifting from her, to a Black witch's sister, then back to her, over and over.

"Indeed? Shall we consult with a portrait? Madame Walburga?" asked Daphne.

"Uh—she might be…" Ane began.

"Tired," said Delphi. "Yes. She could be tired. Having a nap."

Daphne waited, but the Blacks were not in any hurry to shed further light on their magical explorations.

"Fine," she said, conceding the Blacks' position. "Sister home from school, a conversation about how one does this or that, a little, innocent demonstration. Ane is a witch! Not really a surprise. Would it shock you to learn your Auntie Astoria got me to teach her a little magic? Yes, despite all the warnings, I went home for Yule and your aunt wheedled and wheedled until she got her way. Next thing you know she was summoning all kinds of things including Lord Cyrus' fruitcake, his dessert at the end of our family Yule dinner. What do you think happened?"

"Auntie was in trouble?" asked Ane.

"Don't be silly," said Daphne.

"You were in trouble because you showed her how to do it!" said Delphi.

"Exactly!" said Daphne. "I wasn't really in trouble. Lady Isabella made me sit on a kitchen stool and listen respectfully while she listed all the things that could have gone wrong. I can't say I was ever really in trouble at Greengrass Manor. But you must understand, a parent does not need to overhear children discussing fire in the home. Can you grasp what I'm getting at?"

"Yes, Mum Daphne," chorused the witches.

"Now, since Ane has achieved her own early start in her career as a witch, I can't really decree that she must bottle up her magic. That wouldn't do. Would it?"

"No, Mum Daphne," said the Black witches.

"The pressure could build up. She could explode. Bits of her flying all over the place. St. Mungo's might not even want to try to do anything about it, they'd just send us home with our basket of witch parts and tell us to deal with it. While our hearts were completely broken!"

This got a laugh from Daphne's audience as they understood their stepmother was having a bit of fun with them.

"So, here's what we'll do. One, wandless casting is a very valuable skill to have. We want to give Ane practice, in a controlled environment. I mean controlled, do you understand? Summon the spoon to eat your porridge. Not a problem. Let that be the extent of it, please. Two, I will be happy to supervise some practice. I will also consult with Lord Harry on this and ask if he can help me out. Three, not a word of this outside of the house until Ane is a student at Hogwarts. That includes Teddy and Scorpius, who don't need to know anything about this."

"Underage magic is banned. The statutes are also quite loose. There is room for interpretation which means you could be in violation and entirely unaware. I feel conjuring a snake, using one's finger in place of a wand would require the proper authorities to intervene. Ane, you do NOT want the authorities to come knocking on our door. The safest thing is to keep this all to ourselves."

She looked around, trying to gauge the level of understanding inside her young charges' minds. Their nods said they were in full accordance with their stepmother's opinions.

For her part, Daphne was as good as her word. She began to keep a little time free every day for working some magic with Ane. Daphne took the initiative and did a bit of outside reading on wandless casting. She found some exercises and devised a few more herself. Ane made a little progress with each additional session.

Daphne didn't exactly confront her husband over her discovery. She did inform him as soon as the two of them were behind their bedroom door and she was fairly certain the children were asleep.

"What do you think I learned about your daughters today, Harry?" she asked.

Potter had been looking forward to thirty or forty minutes of reading in bed followed by a pleasant drifting-off period of two or three more minutes. He blinked his eyes as his getting-to-sleep plan disappeared.

"They're having a great summer break?" he suggested.

"Oh, most certainly," said Daphne. "They are learning so much, so fast. Delphi could go on to fourth year come September, I have no doubt."

Something about her voice said Potter needed to tread carefully.

"Did they break anything?" he asked. "Anything expensive? Or anything rare, of great sentimental value?"

"No, milord, an overheard conversation, a passing reference to fire…"

"Oh, you put a stop to that, surely?" asked Potter.

"Not so fast. It's 'way better than that. There's a kind of red tint to the air after Ane sends a snake away with an evanescence charm," said Daphne. "They were discussing what that red stuff was. It only looked like fire."

"Oh, that's a relief," Potter said.

"She conjured a snake!" said Daphne. "I was going to give it a good zapping, I just hadn't settled on a spell. They objected."

"Well, if it was HER snake…" Potter began. "Besides, she doesn't have a wand, yet. I suppose she used Delphi's?"

"Anemone Black does not need a wand," Daphne declared. "She used her finger. Delphi had given her the incantation to conjure a snake, and she pointed her finger and conjured one! I saw her do it."

"Ahh…" said Potter, now wide awake. "I never could do that. Probably a handy thing to master. If you're in a pinch, you know."

For some reason, Potter got a highly-detailed mental picture of a rundown motor yacht getting swamped by a rogue wave. He had to shake his head, hard, to clear the vision.

"Your older daughter is tutoring your younger daughter! Astoria got me to show her one or two simple charms, which was, technically, a violation of the ban, but we did not progress to snakes!" said Daphne.

Potter hypothesized he needed some words suitable for calming an agitated step-mother.

"Oh. Mmm. I get your point," said Potter. "Okay, tomorrow we'll talk. Anything else I should know? They've discovered fiendfire?"

"Not to my knowledge, although, untrained, unqualified witches, experimenting? Could you lead them gently into a discussion of why formal study precedes wand-waving in the standard curriculum? The importance of having a teacher who meets certain minimal requirements…?"

By this point, Potter was nodding agreement, muttering, "Yes, yes, quite. Oh, so right! Yes."

Naturally, he had a hard time getting to sleep, following their discussion. It didn't surprise Potter at all to find himself wide awake when Daphne got up at one a.m. to feed Young Cyrus.

"So, no wand."

He muttered, as if to himself, in the dark, as Daphne returned to their bed.

"Correct," said Daphne as she aligned one breast with a baby mouth.

"Wow. Those two are some witches," said Potter, paternal pride breaking through.

"Yes. Thus they need lots of attention, leadership, careful handling and so on," said Daphne.

Potter lay in the dark, listening to the slurpy sound of Young Cyrus, suckling, the faintest whisperings of the Black witches' night breathing drifting in from their rooms. He thought over what he needed to do, to take hold of the situation developing in his household. His daughters were smart, reasonable and very respectful toward their parents. Surely, they would see reason and accept the need to restrain themselves, lest someone else take over and do it for them. His speech to the Black witches began to take shape in his mind.

"I'm not trying to scare you," Potter said.

He stood in front of the Blacks' enchanted tapestry, explaining the relationships depicted in the embroidered vines and faces.

"It IS kind of scary, though," said Delphi.

"Well, yes, it is," said Potter. "That is not my purpose, to scare you. It is just that there is no way to tell you the true story without touching on the scary parts. I have to tell you the truth."

"Why?" Ane demanded.

"Because otherwise I'm a liar and you might not believe anything I say, ever again," Potter said. "Trust is hard to establish. We can't throw it away over hurt feelings. Or we shouldn't, I don't think. So, back to our topic. We can all work magic. That is well-established. I'm very happy to have two daughters who are witches. I like witches. They are much more interesting than muggles, who are quite boring, in my opinion."

This got an appreciative laugh from the two Potter daughters, even if their father was belaboring the obvious.

"That's why we simply must keep this all inside. We already know so no one needs to be informed. I'll be happy to work with both of you. Delphi already helps in the lab, so we'll find some way Ane can get a little practice. We can even conjure a snake, now and then…"

Ane perked up. Then she wouldn't look at Potter.

"Anything to share, Ane?" he asked.

She turned red. She looked down at the floor. She wiggled. Finally, Ane unbuttoned a single button on her blouse and slid the fingers of her right hand inside, coming out with a little snake.

"That is Little Snake No-Name?" asked Potter. "Your Mum Daphne told me you'd learned to conjure one. Delphi? Is Snake No-Name around?"

"No, Harry," said Delphi, giving Ane a stern look.

"Want to send him back? He might have family waiting for him, wherever he goes," said Potter.

"I think he likes it here. When he's tucked away, he's nice and warm."

"Could be," said Potter. "Of course, he could bite you, by accident, so that is a consideration."

"Okay," sighed Ane, conceding, as she lowered her snake to the carpet.

One 'evanesco' charm later, Little Snake No-Name disappeared in the now-accepted red mist.

"So, underage magic—good or bad?" Potter asked.

"Okay, in the right place?" Delphi suggested.

"I suppose. Yes, it is okay, in the RIGHT place," said Potter. "Someplace private, with me around, or Mum Daphne. Are we in agreement? Because it is important we don't stop talking until you're sure you understand."

"Yes, Harry," said Delphi.

"Uh—" said Ane.

"Questions?" Potter asked.

"Well, I just wanted to know, can I conjure my snake, under the right conditions?" his daughter asked. "Because he's really sensitive and needs to get out and see people."

"I expect so," said Potter. "If you conjured him, he's going to be sensitive, just like you."

"That's right!" said Ane.

Delphi, who thought her sister was using very iffy reasoning, somehow managed to hold her own tongue.

As might be imagined, the Potter-Black household, and the inhabitants thereof, underwent some adjustments following Ane's demonstrations of magical power. Potter began by taking Ane into the informal alchemy group he'd formed with Delphi. Daphne looked further ahead. She would need some help with lessons very soon. The reading assignments for the early weeks of the school calendar came with the books she'd buy at Flourish and Blotts. Ane could read. Delphi began sketching a notional study schedule.

Potter, for his part, thought he had a solution for getting in some tutorial time for his two prodigies. He would get them all out of Daphne's way at home by apparating the two witches to the marina. There were probably an infinite number of ways a wizard could teach a little magic to the young ones, out on the water in their sailboat. Delphi couldn't get enough of sailing and Ane had practically been born aboard.

Potter worked out a routine, staying around wherever the family was based, seeing that Kreacher provided a satisfying breakfast for everyone except Young Cyrus. He supervised kitchen cleanup and saw that Daphne was comfortable. Around nine, Young Cyrus commenced a sequence of nursing, followed by making a mess of his nappy, then cleanup and a lie-down. The nap signaled Potter was freed and could take his daughters to the boat.

Not all days were perfect for sailing. The three still sat around on the boat, talking about sailing, magic and the adventures Potter had shared with their mother. Delphi gained control over the negative reactions as she added to her knowledge of Bella's life. Much as she would have relished just one opportunity to give the living Bellatrix Lestrange a piece of her mind, she began to grasp some important points surrounding her own difficult years. One, Bella had followed very bad guidance from people she misperceived as having her best interests in mind. Two, despite her many faults, Bella had taken the opportunity to assess her mistakes and vow to do her best to make amends. Potter assured Delphi that was a vow Bella kept to the end of her life. Three, Bella asked Potter to check on the foster child then known as Delphini Lestrange at Mrs. Rowle's place, leading to Delphi's rescue and eventually the confirmation that Harry Potter, Lord Potter-Black, was Delphi's biological father.

Relating that family tale had a very positive effect on Delphi, in company with additional expressions of appreciation from Ane. She was grateful to her father for finding her sister. She was grateful to her sister, for, essentially, being her sister. Potter could barely tell the story to Daphne when the group returned.

"Take your time," she said.

"They kind of…got to me," Potter told her. "I wasn't thinking about earning any eternal gratitude or anything. Bella asked me for a favor. Essentially, that's what it was. Little did I know."

"Nor anyone," said Daphne. "That's a true good deed. No expectations of a reward. Do the right thing because it is the right thing."

Potter nodded, sparkly-eyed.

"How's Young Cyrus?" he asked.

"Good day," said Daphne. "Went to sleep when you left, woke up four hours later. Smiled. Made a mess. Ate. Passed some gas, laughed and conversed via some coos."

"Everything you'd expect from a baby," he said.

"True. What more do you want?" asked Daphne.

The family perfected its routine. The weeks flew by. Delphi and Daphne went to Diagon Alley with Ane. They shopped all the usual haunts. Delphi greeted witches, and a few wizards, in nearly all their stops. Daphne had not been out very much since Young Cyrus arrived, so she grabbed the opportunity to buy the witches' lunch. Hannah Abbott gave them their choice of tables.

Then the day came and Delphi rose early, ready to get back to Hogwarts and the formal study of magic. Daphne wanted to repeat the family trip to King's Cross Station. Potter acquired a new addition to the magical family's tool kit. A bright young wizard had observed muggle parents traipsing about London with baby slings hung across their chests. He worked out charms to prevent falls, added a flotation feature and shields for protecting both baby and parent from the evil eye. The improved sling was a hit.

"We do look kind of stupid," Potter observed.

He stood before a full-length mirror, assessing himself and Young Cyrus. His son may have thought they looked quite dashing, or something, because he disagreed loudly with his father.

"Right, right, I stand corrected," Potter assured him.

Daphne could have begged off from accompanying Delphi to King's Cross Station. She was still a fairly new mother who was trying to work on the case files her firm kept sending to Grimmauld Place. Daphne loved the law and the subset of the law where she'd found her niche. She also treasured the hours she spent with her son. Young Cyrus, known to his sisters as Potter, took naps but was awake more hours than he was asleep. Daphne had developed some new skills. She could read a file held in one hand while she had a baby in the crook of the opposite arm.

"I'll do this, you know," Potter had said.

"Don't you dare even think about it," was Daphne's reply, delivered to Potter while her widest smile was sent to Delphi.

That was the day Potter and Daphne met Mary Beth Olson, along with her parents. Daphne's assessment of Mary Beth and puzzlement over her sorting into Slytherin hadn't changed. Her impeccable manners saved the two families from embarrassment as Daphne put her energy into smiles and body language and kept her tongue at rest as much as was humanly possible.

The chitchat went well, without incident. Delphi and Mary Beth hugged at length, clearly eager to get back to the Hogwarts Express and the awaiting conversations. Ane didn't want to let Delphi go from her own good-bye hug.

"I know, I know," said Delphi. "Work with Harry. Help Mum Daphne with Potter. You'll be best friends forever! One more year and you'll be getting on the train."

Something in the mélange of sisterly advice seemed to get through. Ane pinched off the tears and waved with great enthusiasm as Delphi headed for the train.

Once aboard, Delphi went looking for Scorpius and Teddy. She wasn't completely certain why they had all arrived separately. It might have had something to do with the fact that Harry was hauling Young Cyrus about in that embarrassing sling. At any rate, the others ought to be in a cabin, somewhere.

"What?" Potter asked when he looked at his wife.

"How?" Daphne asked.

Potter knew what she was asking: How was Mary Beth Olson going to navigate, successfully, six more years in Slytherin House, with those purebloods and their prejudices? Daphne knew what she was talking about, having been a pureblood in Slytherin House herself.

Potter looked around, trying to communicate, silently, that they could discuss the topic at length as soon as the two of them were alone.

"Not to worry," he said. "Delphi seems to be handling things."

That was some comfort. If Delphi and Mary Beth continued to be friends, they would most likely transit those six years in stately fashion.

"Leaky Cauldron?" asked Potter.

Daphne looked at Young Cyrus, who seemed to be quite happy, sleeping snuggled against his father's chest.

"Oh, why not?" she asked, sending a wink to Ane.

Ane reached for Daphne's hand when they approached the apparition point. Harry Potter, she seemed to say, had enough responsibility already.

The pub was well-stocked with parents and younger siblings enjoying the traditional gabfest that followed the dispatching of scholars on the Hogwarts Express. The Potters gravitated to a clump of parents, a mixed group with witches and wizards from all four Hogwarts houses. The younger siblings who had come to see a student off from the platform stood, some clutching a parental hand, semi-hidden behind a cloak or robe.

Astoria Malfoy walked up, trailing Draco. She gave a brief hug to Daphne before sweeping Ane up.

"Ane! You've added inches!" she exclaimed. "I won't be doing this for very long."

Ane was happy to be held by Auntie Astoria and was not looking forward to the day when she would be too big for such affectionate displays. She was happy her growth earned a comment from her aunt, taking it as equivalent to a compliment for something she'd done.

Potter was standing quietly with Young Cyrus on his chest, the two of them scanning the milling pub crowd. Ron Weasley was there, with Hermione, and caught Potter's eye. The two of them sent minimal smiles across the room. In the course of sending that silent greeting, something alerted Hermione to the subjects of her husband's attention. She looked at Potter, neither smiling nor frowning. Her face was a blank, giving no clue to her thoughts. Hermione touched Weasley's arm and began to walk toward the Potter group.

"Uh-oh," said Potter, just loud enough to reach Daphne.

Some instinct, dating to millennia of humans fending off raids with flint and slings, had the defenders turn to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. Their section of the square or shield wall solidified just as Hermione arrived.

"Harry," she said. "Daphne. Astoria. That is a beautiful baby, Daphne. How is everything?"

"Going well, Hermione. Very well, in fact," said Daphne.

"And you are…" Hermione asked, directing her question to the little witch on Astoria's hip.

Ane wiggled. Astoria put her down.

"Anemone Black, ma'am," she said, bobbing an acceptable curtsy.

"Anemone? Like the flower. Well, that is a lovely name," said Hermione. "So very nice to see everyone."

With that, Hermione turned back toward Ron and the Greater Weasley gathering across the room. Potter turned to look at Daphne and Astoria. He raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, it's time," said Daphne. "Coming over?"

"Why not?" asked Astoria as she reached for Draco's arm.

Number Twelve was ready and waiting when they arrived. Potter asked Kreacher for tea and whatever delectable was available. The group reconvened in the second drawing room. Young Cyrus was ready for a nap and Ane took a book up to her room.

"What was that, Harry?" asked Astoria.

"Oh. Well, none of you know about this, I don't suppose. There was an incident during the war. Hermione and Bellatrix. Hermione was outmatched and Bellatrix was a madwoman. She used a knife. Hermione may still have scars. When I came back to Britain, from my period as a full-time sailor, I was still re-establishing my contact group and took the witches to meet Ron and Hermione. Didn't go well, at all. One look told Hermione all she needed to know. Today was the first time I saw the two of them in three or four years, I guess."

"Harry! After the three of you…" Daphne began, before running out of words.

Draco looked up at the ceiling. He had been present when Hermione was tortured, by his aunt, and hadn't been able to do anything. The incident continued to feature in the occasional nightmare.

"Yes. I was honest with them," said Potter. "Augusta Longbottom let us come to her place. Andromeda and Teddy came. There wasn't any hexing or anything. The emotions were just beyond the reach of firewhisky, for Hermione. Can't blame her, really. I told her the witches were mine and I would do whatever needed doing, to protect them."

His audience sat, still, processing Potter's historical anecdote. Bella's daughters so resembled their mother there was no ambiguity as to their parentage. Potter stepped up to his responsibilities, despite his lover's treatment of his friend. The memory was always fresh, for Hermione, as could be expected.

"Merlin, Harry," said Draco. "I noticed you weren't seeing them, but I had no idea. You amaze me."

"It's a situation. I'm caught in it," said Potter. "Suspect Hermione is caught in hers, too. If she can work it out, fine. I'll give her all the time required. By the same reasoning, nothing to be gained by making it worse. For everyone. More tea? Why not…Kreacher!"

As anyone would expect, the Black cousins re-formed on the Hogwarts Express. It was not a case of needing to find one another in order to catch up on summer activities. Delphi and Teddy were together several times a week. Scorpius seldom went two full weeks without seeing one, or both.

The Blacks' precipitating out of the total Hogwarts scrum served another purpose. Family solidarity was crucial. The Black family of witches and wizards had a lively history. In the course of writing which, some of their predecessors had made enemies. While a certain amount of that was to be expected, Blacks gave many the impression that the center of controversy was their own natural habitat. It was typical, in each generation, that some contemporaries believed the best defense was a good offense. Thus, Black solidarity, particularly in the face of challenges to their freedoms-of movement and association.